Another tower disaster - Skyview Castle Hill

Castle Hill
Buyers blocked from moving into Sydney apartment tower after 'extensive signs of cracking' found — ABC News

 

It becomes Skyview when the cracks appear in the penthouse ceilings. As Leonard Cohen sang -"There's a crack in everything..."

 

Lol, add that to the article about several apartment buildings in Melbourne making creaking noises, and WTF is going on with building standards.

Melbourne high-rise Australia 108, Prima Pearl residents fear for safety amid ‘terrifying’ creaking

 

Clearly too many corners being cut from too many companies

 

From the article first posted. Seems utterly amateur hour.

 

it will continue to happen until the Government implements the recommendations in the Shergold Weir report (2015)

 

This is getting ridiculous. Perhaps changes need to happen to hold people PERSONALLY responsible for serious breaches. Instead of hiding behind companies. Like the WHS laws in Qld (and maybe other states?). If you mess up badly you go to jail and cop a huge personal fine.

 

If only govt was willing to hold these cashed up companies to the same standard as they hold landlords.

 

I guess that's kind of a win for the buyers....
As when you buy "off the plan" or prior to an occupancy certificate being issued the building is not completed, so no settlement, if rectification work's take too long (if it can be patched) then eventually the sunset clause could kick in = money refunded

From the article
The NSW Building Commissioner has intervened to stop an occupation certificate from being issued for a major Sydney residential apartment complex after confirming "extensive signs of cracking"

 

What is saw cut ? The developer claimed that this is "minor cosmetic defect and will be rectified shortly" and the spokeswoman from the building commissioners officer said they are "happy to work with the developer to rectify this issue" . So, how easy is it to rectify?

 

Saw cuts aren't really the issue (but they are cuts made into concrete to relieve/allow for stress cracking).

The BIG issue's are in BOLD

It states basement slabs were "not constructed in accordance with the approved structural engineers approved plans" and no 'saw joints', otherwise known as contraction points, were installed in some sections.
It also stated the basement slabs are "missing expansion joints in numerous locations causing significant concrete spalling".

*you can often cut in expansion joints, even add in supports and bracing (at the cost of space) but if the slab it's all built on isn't "as per plans" then good luck fixing that ! (Adding in steel support plates can't fix everything)

 

Not another one! (Palm of hand slaps forehead)

Better off buying in a 30 year old building. As long as it’s still standing and not a pile of rubble on the ground lol.

 

Ah thanks! I have no idea how these things work. What's extension joint ? Are they easy to reinstall? Will that rectify the issue? Coz the developer seem pretty confident that this is nothing

 

Are the Opal Towers 30 yrs old yet?

 

3 years I believe.

I think they are better off removing the top 5 levels in order to relieve that downward pressure.

Maybe the use of a turbo charged high pressure water cleaner could knock those levels off.lol.

 

I own the site adjacent to the Toplace Box Hill High Rise shopping centre site. Council required them to negotiate with me so that I was not left with a grudge strip of land 120 square metres that could not be used.
They went back to council and said I was unreasonable as I did not accept their offer. They were allowed not to purchase the strip without negotiating.
Their offer for land zoned 6 storey shopping centre was $45 per square metre. That’s less than the cost of supply and fit carpet to buy shopping centre land.
My counter offer was $500 per square metre which they deemed excessive. The residential land has been marketed at $1600 per square metre but somehow lawyers for Toplace were only prepared to offer $45 for the shopping centre zoned land.

 

This looong list of reasons to avoid OTP high rise just got a bit longer.....

 

In the news this morning...slightly unrelated but similar topic:

'Your nose is black inside!': Warning of new apartment defect horror

I don't know how many red flags one needs to not buy brand new/off the plan apartments. Not every block is built badly but why take the risk?

 

It’s fascinating how quick the government is acting on vaccines where problems are about 1 in 100,000. Yet they seem deaf in these Instances where the problems are are about 1 in 3. Two deaths in 3.6 million and I would hazard to say that the upset and torment of being locked into an opal towers situation would unfortunately cause more tragedy per million persons.